Earlier today, a leak from the Japanese Patent Office resulted in something of a deluge of new information as it pertains to the controller that will be used with Sony’s next-generation console, the PlayStation 5.
Though the smaller analogue sticks, larger triggers and new USB port are all interesting in their own right (more on that last one in a bit), it was really the revelation though that the DualShock 5 controller (or whatever it eventually ends up being called) will not have the light bar which was so synonymous with the PS4‘s DualShock 4 controller that stands out the most.
Immediately, the most obvious benefit of the light bar being kicked out of the DualShock Club is that the PS5’s controller should enjoy a much more lengthy battery life, and as such, won’t require recharging every few hours.
That is a good thing.
Goodbye Light Bar – What About PSVR?
Hey, that rhymes! Anyway, much less clear at this point however, is how the omission of the light bar might affect PSVR titles, such as Astro Bot Rescue Mission, that rely on it in order to track the controller in a 3D space. This, we would guess, is where the USB port could conceivably come in to save the day.
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Sony could (and again, this is speculation) quite easily manufacture some sort of nano USB dongle that plugs into the DualShock 5 and would allow it to mimic the light bar’s function when it comes to the IR and 3D tracking capabilities of the PSVR. And then, when paired with a game that uses that functionality, you simply unplug the dongle and enjoy your extra battery life.
Of course, another solution could also be present that the current patent drawings don’t make clear at this point – the DualShock 5 could well have another means of allowing the controller to be tracked by the PS Camera. One thing’s for sure though – given Sony’s seemingly slavish adherence to ensuring that both PS4 and PSVR titles are backwards compatible with the PS5, we don’t think they would leave all those games (and by proxy those PS4 gamers) behind.
What do you think of how the DualShock 5 seems to be shaping up though? Let us know in the comments!